Feliz Natal!

This is for Olivia.
I have spent some extra time with Bob, Janelle, and Olivia lately. I really enjoyed talking with Olivia about the star on the Christmas tree. She seems to understand the star shows where the baby Jesus lies in the manger. She knows it from her own tree at home and also when she sees other trees, stars, and nativity displays. It is good to think about Christmas again through the eyes of a toddler!

Isn't it wonderful to have childlike wonder and belief in Bible truths?

Maybe this post isn't so much for Olivia as it is for me....

I have been trying to learn Portuguese vocabulary. One helpful daily link is "Word of the Day." Quite a number of foreign languages are offered. I choose Portuguese and each word is pronounced and then used in a sentence. Granted, these are baby steps, but remember how good it is to think in child like ways!

So today's word is "natal" pronounced something like "natouw." Anyway, Merry Christmas!

Thanks as always for praying for our support to come in. God is faithful.

In God's Time

We were in Iowa two Sundays ago and had a sweet time with the folks there. Also, Jim was invited to share a short devotional with the international students (Campus Bible Fellowship in South Bend, Indiana) for their Thanksgiving dinner. We met some new friends and enjoyed catching up with some old friends.

We have some meetings scheduled following Christmas and we need to schedule more. We are going to apply for visas in January and would appreciate you praying for the papers to be approved and the visas to be granted. We understand this process usually takes a few months. Once the visas are given we will have to enter Brazil within 90 days. We expect to try to get to Brazil sometime in the summer of 2009. We are asking for God to time this for us as He times all of His creation.

"The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun. Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter." Psalm 74:16-17

Thank you for praying.

Increasing support

We were informed that one of our supporting churches is increasing its regular support amount. Also a friend from our home church has told us of starting to give us support beginning in December. This puts us at 63%

In the middle of all this voting and economic messiness we are reminded by the Lord of His care for us, and we continue to move forward with our missions calling.

Jim recently spoke to a man at a Best Buy store about his need for the Lord in the light of a recent terrible cancer diagnosis. The man was ready to take the tracts given to him. Please pray for that man's salvation and encouragement.

We go to Ohio this weekend and to Iowa the following weekend. Thanks for remembering to pray for us.

Sustained and encouraged

We returned home last night following the closing service of our annual Baptist World Mission meeting. We left the Milwaukee area and drove through Chicago at about 1 am. It's a pretty good time to get through without fighting so much traffic! We got home and received some good news on the phone answering machine. A pastor from Iowa had called to tell us they wanted to begin supporting us.

So...drum roll please...we have broken the 60% level!

Tomorrow we leave to go to Virginia and will be there all day Sunday. Then back home to Michigan.

Please pray for that Virginia church and another in Michigan (where we recently presented) to take on supporting us.

I also wanted to praise the Lord for several key people we got to talk with at the Milwaukee meeting. We have a new field director and were specifically helped and encouraged by some other veteran missionaries. Their insight is exactly what the Lord needed for us to hear. We also spent time with the team leadership couple we will be most directly working with in Porto Alegre. The Lord has given us so much this week...the cup overflows. We are grateful to have gone.

"May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ." 2 Thessalonians 3:5

Fall blessings

The fall is pretty in Michigan. We were in Sturgis, MI for a missions emphasis Sunday at Fish Lake Bible church yesterday. The folks are so friendly and we enjoyed a great meal with them Saturday evening. Time was spent praying with small groups and we were blessed.

We will be in Wisconsin and Virginia for the last two weeks of October. God hes kept us going safely on the roads and we are at 58-59% support. We continue on and thank you for praying.

For who in the heaven is like the Lord?

"And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.... The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them." Psalm 89:5-11

Recently a missionary spoke with me in order to encourage me and he said, "God can shake the clouds in the sky to meet the needs of your ministry and the needs of your hearts." It is a simple and profound reminder of God's limitless resources. He does not leave us hopeless or helpless because He is not limited to my personal resources.

We travel to Maryland this weekend and will follow that meeting with a quick trip to see our family in Chesapeake, Va. Our daughter and granddaughter will come with us.

Pray for the clouds to be shaken! Thanks.

Waiting, rejoicing, and trusting

Psalm 33:20-21 reminds me, "Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, because we trust in His holy name."

We are so grateful for many flowers, cards, and prayers on our behalf for my dad's homecoming to Heaven. The Lord is all we need.

Our son-in-law and daughter also suffered a miscarriage within hours of the time my dad died, and maybe there was a very sweet fellowship of great grandparents and great grandchildren that day in the tender arms of Jesus.

I trust it was certainly to God's glory and for His highest purpose.

We have received more support and are now at 58%. We thank you for faithfully remembering to pray for our needs. None of us can do well in the absence of prayer.

Daily faithfulness

The pink daylilies outside have begun to bloom. Each new bloom opens for just a one day. God reminds me He provides for each day as needed.

We are traveling to the Saginaw, Michigan area tomorrow. The following day, Jim will be speaking in Sunday school, briefly in the morning service, and then present our mission work in the evening service. Next week we will be in Iowa.

We truly need prayers for more support to be added. God is faithful and we believe He wants us to be in Brazil soon. Thank you for remembering us.

In the Park

Janelle, Olivia, and I walked to McDonald's for lunch and then went to the grocery store and the park. The weather is just beautiful and we all enjoyed the playtime.

"Life music"

We are praising the Lord for the church in Dowagiac, Michigan picking us up for support this week. Every church makes a difference. Thanks for your prayers!

I have been reading, Mood Tides: Divine Purpose in the Rhythms of Life by Ronald Horton. He walks the reader through some possible purposes for God allowing both the ups and downs of life.

He says, "I have associated what I have called the rhythms of life with the flow of music. Music of the highest order has like life its regularities - its patterns and themes. It also has surprises, its departures from pattern, for it plays on expectations, sometimes appearing to frustrate them before resolving them. Even within the pattern itself can be contrasting elements that seem to jar. Some of the most gorgeous music ever composed, Bach's for example, incorporates dissonance as well as passages in minor mode.

It is no less true in the divine harmonics of a dedicated life that pain may intrude unexpectedly or return at feared intervals in a disturbing way. Dark overtones may dominate at times and seem to shadow the whole until all is resolved and the Composer's work is done. The somber strands are part of the divine masterwork. It would be lesser without them. The descent from elation to depression is never a welcome one, to be sure, but both meet artfully in the richest music of life."

Quick trip to Denver

Janelle and Olivia flew to Denver with us to see my dad last week. Dan came from Virginia and met us in Denver. We had a blessing to talk with family and pray with Dad.

I had some time to plant flowers a couple of days ago and enjoy having the color outside. We are getting rain today and tonight.

Pray for my dad. Please pray for the church in Michigan and the church in Maryland to pick us up for support soon. Thanks!

The Lord is our "stronghold in times of trouble." Psalm 9:9

Brothers

What an awesome time we had with Dan, Sara, Peter, and Andrew. We drove home Monday, and it was hard to say good bye.

We will be taking a quick trip to see Dad in a couple of days. I am sure he would be grateful for your prayers.

Almost two weeks old

Andrew is a sweet and calm little boy, and we are enjoying getting to know him!


We had great fellowship with the church folks in upstate Maryland, and we pray for support from them in God's will.

We appreciate your prayers.

Our help

We are home for today and will be leaving tomorrow to travel to Maryland and then Virginia. We have the opportunity to present in a church this weekend and then, since we will be close, we will go to Chesapeake to see Dan, Sara, Peter, and Andrew.

My Dad would appreciate your prayers. He has been diagnosed again with cancer and the particular problems associated with that. The Lord is a great help and comfort to him.

Please continue to ask the Lord for our support to grow.
We desire to be in His will.
Thank you.

"and you shall rejoice in all the good which the LORD your God has given you and your household." Deuteronomy 26:11

Congratulations!

We are so happy to be grandparents again!

Dan, Sara, and Peter welcomed Andrew into their family at about 11:20 this morning. Both Andrew and Sara are doing well. We are thankful for this answer to prayer.



I don’t know whether they should say, “You have a baby” or, “The baby has you”. ~ Anonymous

Praise

We are officially over the 50% support mark today. We are grateful for the Lord's help and will continue on. Thank you for praying.

Pressing forward

We have a missions conference starting tomorrow in Dowagiac, Michigan. The conference will go through Wednesday. Following the conference we will head down to Bob and Janelle's for Olivia's 1st birthday next weekend. We then travel to Maryland for a meeting over Mother's Day weekend. After that meeting we will go to Chesapeake to meet our new grandson, Andrew, who is scheduled to be born on Friday, May 2nd.

Please pray for Sara and the baby for a safe delivery. Please pray for our support levels to rise. We are making steady progress. With another church voting this week, we should tip over the 50% mark!

We always need your prayers and thank you for helping us.

"Blessed be the LORD,
Because He has heard the voice of my supplication.
The LORD is my strength and my shield;
My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped" Psalm 28:6-7

Fun times

I spent two weeks in Virginia helping Dan, Sara, and Peter. Janelle and Olivia arrived a couple of days before I left, so we enjoyed some playground time with both Peter and Olivia.

We are looking forward with great joy to the birth of Andrew on May 2.

Thanks for your continuing prayers for us.

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice." Psalm 55:17

Praise

I know spring flowers are on the way...!

Thanks for remembering us in your prayers. I had a blood draw on Friday and nearly all my blood counts are back in normal ranges. The iron infusions helped a lot. I already knew I was feeling better even without the blood draw to confirm it.

We have had very good meetings in Michigan and Indiana. We are prayerful that the Lord will move churches to help in our support.

Our daughter-in-law needs some help during her last 5 weeks of this pregnancy and I am planning of traveling to Virginia for two weeks to help her and our grandson with whatever they need.

Jim will be going to a missions conference in the Saginaw, MI area next week. It is the first time I will not go with him to a meeting to present our Brazil work.

Thanks for praying for us.

"Green" spirits

Sometimes the regular news of each day can be a drag on my spirit. I hear about recession, look at the struggle of the U.S. dollar against the ever-strengthening Brazilian Real, watch the political fighting in presidential races, and try to keep a right focus on the sovereignty of God.

I am reminded of Jeremiah 17:5-8.


Thus says the LORD,
“Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the LORD.
“For he will be like a bush in the desert
And will not see when prosperity comes,
But will live in stony wastes in the wilderness,
A land of salt without inhabitant.
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD
And whose trust is the LORD."


I need to trust in the Lord to continue to yield good fruit and not be caught up in anxiety during heat and drought times. We need to be green in the leaves of our spirits.


“For he will be like a tree planted by the water,
That extends its roots by a stream
And will not fear when the heat comes;
But its leaves will be green,
And it will not be anxious in a year of drought
Nor cease to yield fruit."


We drive up to Houghton Lake, MI on Saturday. The church will allow us to present the ministry on Sunday, and we will drive home Monday morning.

Please pray for us as the Lord lays our particular needs on your heart. Thanks.

The next three weeks

We will be traveling to northern Michigan each of the next two Sundays. On March 2nd we will be in Kalkaska, and on the 9th we will be in Houghton Lake. Both areas are beautiful and potentially snowy this time of year!

On the 16th of March we will be in Lapaz, Indiana for a missions conference, and the following week we will be in our home church for Easter.

Bob, Janelle, and Olivia are moving to Ohio to begin a new ministry. They will have their first Sunday in the new church on Easter.

As always we do not take your prayers for granted. Thanks for praying for us.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

Hanging in there

Just a quick note...
We will be making a trip to Alger, Michigan tomorrow to present the work tomorrow evening. Alger is about an hour north of Saginaw, Michigan. Pray for support and more good contacts. We plan on returning Thursday.

We have had a couple of large expenses come up this week. Please pray for provisions.

We would also appreciate your prayers for staying healthy as we travel and shake lots of hands!

Making some progress

We have had 3 churches take us on for support in the last several days. Thanks for praying.

Jim has been getting some more meetings. He will be filling the pulpit at Calvary Baptist in Lapaz again this Sunday. We enjoyed our time there last week, and we will be participating in their missions conference in a few weeks.

I have been able to get two big infusions of iron into my system. I can feel my energy starting to improve.

Please pray for continued progress on the mission trail. Thanks.

Snowing again

It snowed, it is snowing now, and we are to get a few more inches tonight and tomorrow....

We have been able to set up several meetings in the next few weeks. Jim will be filling the pulpit for the next two Sundays for a small church south of South Bend. We are glad for the speaking opportunities.

I have to deal with my anemia again. It has gotten back to the point where I was in 2004, and I need to get some iron infusions. Thanks for remembering us in your prayers for these next weeks to come. Please pray for more meetings and support.

Early morning from the front window

The snow is more peaceful when I don't have to go out!

Children's meetings

We have had the opportunity to do a couple of children's presentations this month. The kids are always excited to see the tropical insects and butterflies. I found this artist's watercolor of tropical butterflies and thought it was beautiful.

Please pray for us to get many meetings set up for the next few weeks and months. We keep pressing on!

Thanks for your faithful prayers.

"One of the greatest tragedies of a believer's life is not unanswered prayer, but unoffered prayer."
Author unknown

"All Thy works shall praise Thee..." Ps. 145

The true joys of Christmas certainly include seeing families cherishing time together. The smiles say it all!


This last month we traveled to Rochester, MN to encourage Dad as he endured a difficult surgery and cancer diagnosis. He still has some decisions to make regarding further treatments, and we would appreciate your prayers. The Mayo Clinic just has to be seen to appreciate their size and model of care. Even though the circumstances were tough, the family time was sweet.

Following the trip to MN, we drove to much warmer Tennessee to celebrate a lovely Christmas with Sara's family. They invited us and Bob, Janelle, and Olivia too. So as far as I am concerned, it was just perfect. We saw our grandchildren and had wonderful fellowship with the church folks and Sara's folks.

To finish out the month and into the New Year we drove to Chesapeake and enjoyed more warm weather and lots of fun family time with Dan, Sara, Peter, Bob, Janelle, and Olivia. We presented our Brazil work there the last Sunday of the year. Please pray for fruit from these churches.

We are now home again....Whew! I would not trade any of the times shared with our loved ones. What a Christmas blessing!
Everything here remained safe and dry. We do not take the Lord's protections for granted.

Thanks for remembering us in your prayers.